The Mossos d'Esquadra warn about a new scam that criminals use to steal from drivers. After having informed citizens about other common scams, such as the rear-view mirror scam, the flat tire scam or the sowing scam, the Catalan police force warns of a new scam. This is the fake mechanic scam of which an elderly driver in Torelló (Barcelona) has been a victim, and from whom the criminals stole 950 euros by pretending to repair his damaged vehicle.
Through a message published on their social networks, the Mossos report this new method used by criminals to appropriate money from their victims. In this modus operandi, the modus operandi used by thieves is to select an elderly person at the wheel, preferably alone.
When they have located their target, they bring their car closer to that of the victim and approach him, telling him to stop, assuring that his vehicle has broken down. The victim stops her car and the fake mechanic offers to repair the damage. Next, once he claims to have solved the problem, the scammer presents him with an invoice for an exorbitant amount of money.
The case that the Mossos report on their X account (formerly Twitter) occurred on February 15 in Torelló when a man who was driving his car in Torelló was approached by criminals to inform him of an alleged breakdown. One of the scammers offered to help the victim repair a damage to the wheels.
To increase the credibility of the hoax, the scammer posing as a mechanic made a phone call pretending to contact the workshop. However, in reality, he was communicating with an accomplice, a woman, whom he asked to bring a set of tools and spare parts to simulate repairing the vehicle.
Once the work was done, the woman presented the driver with an invoice worth 1,300 euros. The victim, since she did not have cash, went to an ATM to withdraw the agreed amount accompanied by the fake mechanic. At the ATM, she was only able to get 950 euros that she gave to the scammer. To collect the rest of the money, the scammer summoned the victim for the next day.
After returning home, the man realized that he had been the victim of a scam and reported the incident to the Mossos d'Esquadra. The next day, two plainclothes agents accompanied the affected individual to the location agreed upon with the criminals to finalize the payment of the supposed reparation. At the moment the fake mechanic approached the old man, the agents identified the scammer and proceeded to arrest him. Later, the next day, they arrested his accomplice.
The Mossos warn drivers to be wary of any stranger who approaches offering unexpected help in emergency situations on the road, especially if it involves alleged mechanical repairs. The police force advises in these cases to remain calm and take the vehicle to a trusted mechanic or workshop to avoid being a victim of a deception like the one they have now revealed.
